Opus 2025-489: Open Enrollment

I’ve been reading a lot in the Old Testament prophets and in Revelation, and I’m finding a lot of doom and gloom.  God reaches a point where He’s had enough and His wrath takes command.  If you remember the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, you know how Elijah won the contest and then he ran away in fear and hid in the wilderness.  When God confronted him, he confessed his fear and how he was the only one left.  God corrected him and told him there were 7000 left who had not bowed their knee to Baal.

You might be impressed by the number 7000.  Perhaps you go to a typical church and you look around and you realize that you couldn’t even get the cars for 7000 people into your parking lot let alone into your sanctuary.  It sounds impressive until you stop to consider that while 7000 would be an overwhelming expression for a Little League baseball game it would be insulting at the Super Bowl.  You need to consider that they were over 1 million people living in Israel at the time and only 7000 of them were faithful.

As a general rule, God takes care of His remnant, of His faithful.  As I’m sitting on a hill in Texas and I’m hearing the saber rattling going on regarding Russia and China, I get concerned for the well-being of my children and grandchildren.  I need to keep looking unto the Lord and knowing that I am in His hands.  And that’s a good place to be.  Historically Israel survived.  Most of them were eliminated in various invasions and plagues, but the faithful remnant survived.

Where do you think those 7000 lived?  I doubt if they lived in the capital.  I doubt if they were CEO’s of large corporations.  I doubt if they were wealthy and successful merchants.  They were probably small farmers, shepherds, ordinary people, being faithful to God and keeping their heads down when the ruling forces came by.  God knew who they were, and he is quite capable of confusing the minds of the hateful people looking for them.

So there is a remnant.  One of the things you need to understand is that it is not a closed society.  It is open to anyone.  You might say there’s open enrollment.  And like any open enrollment there comes a time when it’s too late to apply, there are requirements, there are expectations.  The point is anyone who is willing to take those steps can join the organization.  Those who refuse are on the outside.

I doubt if you get too upset that most Americans are not members of the American Hot Rod Association, assuming there is such a thing.  It doesn’t bother you because you don’t want to be a member, unless you are.  And if you are, you would love to have your neighbors join, your friends join, everyone else, but it’s their choice.  You don’t regret that they have no access to that cute decal you put on your bumper.

Eternal destiny is a much more serious issue, but the principle is the same.  Eternal life in the presence of Almighty God is available and offered to everyone.  You need to accept the fact that the vast majority of people are not willing to submit their application.

Be a remnant. 

homo unius libri